That’s interesting, we are just looking to toodle around town and obviously we have another all-wheel-drive vehicle for our ski trips and road trips to Colorado Utah etc as every other leaf user has here in Colorado I’m sure.

Interesting never knew the batteries were so crappy on these cars perhaps it’s the State of the current technology and perhaps I am comparing them to the Prius which is a totally different beast.

I wonder how the I3 BMW batteries hold up over time?

Are replacement batteries that expensive? Even for the DIY person? If that’s the case how come some people are still asking 10/ 11 K for 2013‘s? Crazy. A good example here on CL in Boulder Denver area is one that was listed at almost 13 K now dropped his price to 11- tow hitch snow tires 360° camera etc. but still a 2013.

Gigawatt wrote:That’s interesting, we are just looking to toodle around town and obviously we have another all-wheel-drive vehicle for our ski trips and road trips to Colorado Utah etc as every other leaf user has here in Colorado I’m sure.

Interesting never knew the batteries were so crappy on these cars perhaps it’s the State of the current technology and perhaps I am comparing them to the Prius which is a totally different beast.

I wonder how the I3 BMW batteries hold up over time?

Are replacement batteries that expensive? Even for the DIY person? If that’s the case how come some people are still asking 10/ 11 K for 2013‘s? Crazy. A good example here on CL in Boulder Denver area is one that was listed at almost 13 K now dropped his price to 11- tow hitch snow tires 360° camera etc. but still a 2013.

We need a BIG clarification here.

The batteries are not the crappies we need to worry about. Its Nissan's nearly useless BMS and questionable marketing/engineering decisions.

They are the only EVs that allow such as HUGE DoD as the default option and with removal of the 80% option, its not only the default but the ONLY option.

Ok so it's go snow tires, real trailer hitch etc but we all know that stuff is worth pennies on the dollar when it comes sell a second hand car - and if I can lease a new one for $269 a month (would never do that since the 250 mile range one is on the horizon) and all the battery packs will be bad in a few years according to this forum then why are they asking so much?

I leaning toward an old e39 Bmw, makes more sense than some car with a battery pack thats's gonna conk out and cost me 6k, just been down that road with my Audi, selling it for $500

As far as I know, there are no aftermarket battery packs available. Cheapest option currently is to buy a wrecked car with a good battery and swap it yourself. I doubt Nissan will sell you a pack but who knows? Eventually I assume someone will come out with aftermarket battery kits but I haven't seen any. Replacement at the dealer is currently around $6k I believe.

There are several guys here at work who have 50k+ miles on their Leaf's with all 12 bars remaining. Not all of the battery packs die an early death and if you get one with a 8 year warranty, it will get replaced for 'free' if it does go bad. Usually they get replaced at around 60-65% of full capacity so if you only need 40 miles, you would be covered in all but the worst weather.

I agree the used prices are nuts in Boulder these days. I bought a new one last year since it was cheaper than the used ones. First time I've ever bought a new car in my life. And I've been driving for 40+ years

The one in the ad you posted does look nice and unless the battery management system (BMS) has been 'reset' it should be good for a while. It has all the bells and whistles which add about $5k to the list price and at 39k miles, it is still fairly new. It appears to have the 24kWh pack so the capacity is lower than the newer models but anecdotal evidence is saying that these packs do not degrade as fast as the newer packs. Some people have put the larger pack into these cars but it is a DIY project and not supported by Nissan.

If you truly only need 40 miles of range this wouldn't be a bad choice IMHO. I get about 120 miles of range at 100% on the GOM but all that means to me is that I charge 2x a week. If I had to charge 3x or 4x a week, it wouldn't be a deal breaker. Going to DIA is right at the edge of my cars range so that is one trip I wish I could take but can't. I suppose I could charge at the airport but I do wish I could get there and back on 1 charge. That is how my range affects me. If you only need 40 miles, you should have no issues with the car in the ad. You will certainly save money on gas and maintenance vs an ICE car and it's a blast to drive.

The high used prices are probably because of continued demand, while Nissan punted on actually producing significant numbers of 2016 and 2017 models, while also screwing up and not releasing the 2018's until just recently. This will be rectified soon, probably by Summer, but certainly by Fall. Also, the Leaf batteries won't magically crap out, especially in areas like CO with lower average temperatures. My 2011 SL still had 9 bars and has a range of 40-50 mi summer, 30-40 mi winter. I expect about 8% loss per year going forward. I'm in the hottest portion of WA (routinely see 110 F temps every summer), so much greater temps than CO.

You should expect something similar, maybe only 5% loss per year if lucky. Still, if you must buy now and need 40 mi range, I expect that you won't find a "cheap" Leaf that will still meet your needs in 4-5 years. Unfortunately, you're stuck with "cheap" that will need a new battery in a few years, or "expensive". Good luck with your decision.

Yes, "cheap" is all relative. It's like eating at a restaurant "a la carte" . It will eventually cost you a lot more than you planned. If you are spending thousands on a used Leaf, get one with the best battery you can afford.

PS- I am a DYI guy, but Those posters who say they will change the battery themselves are naïve.... There is much more involved than just swapping a 12 volt car battery...